Laboratory and research facility utilities for growing, or culturing, living material in a prepared nutrient medium are known. Petri dishes, culture cups and the like used for such purposes have heretofore included various structural adaptation and/or supplemental means to seal the material and medium in the apparatus sheltered from the ambient (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,055,808).
Various filtering arrangements used in association with sample dishes (see, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0015694) and liquid sample filtration cups (see U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0096468 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,913,152 and 7,546,925, for example) have also been heretofore suggested and/or utilized for various purposes. Often such heretofore known devices are unduly complex, are difficult to store when not in use and maintain when in use, and/or provide inadequate sealing and air circulation for culture growth. Further improvement could thus still be utilized.